Chapter 8
Song: End of the Summer by Theory of a Deadman
Wait, didn't Emmett tell me not to do this?
He did.
Then again, his reason was that he didn't want to hear me moaning, and he definitely wouldn't hear me right now.
Oh! That was the curve of my jaw. I love that spot.
Now, what was I thinking?
Ahhhh.....hot breath on my neck. Wow, strong tongue. I’m going to file that away for future reference…
Come on, Bella. Think.
See through the champagne haze.
Okay, Emmett. Jasper's roommate. My cousin.
Emmett and Ali.
It's fair right?
Ung......tongue.....neck.....jaw.....mouth, mouth, please mouth.
Sweet, delicious lips on mine!
Oh, sweet heaven, such soft lips. Soft, soft, soft, soft, tastes like champagne and wedding cake. Mmm...even softer tongue.
Wow, he is an incredible kisser. I wonder what else he could do with that tongue.
No! Stop Bella! That's off limits anyway!
But, oh, wow, he's really great. And there's that ocean smell.
How could a girl turn this down?
Oh, not the hands in my hair! I’m such a sucker for…oh god that feels good.
Shit, I’m so wet! I should have worn panties!
Wait, I didn't know I'd need panties, and anyway, I couldn't risk a panty line in this dress. The fabric is just too unforgiving.
Holy shit, he's back on the jaw line.....so slow....so fucking sexy.
Mmmm.....
Oh, hands on my ribs, down my hips, that feels good. Where's his mouth? Come back!
No! Stop!
“Jasper...stop,” I panted.
His face was eye level with my navel and his hands were holding onto the edge of my skirt, ready to lift it.
“What's wrong?” he whispered, laying a kiss just below my belly button. Oh, hell...
“You can't do...that.”
One eyebrow raised on his gorgeous face as he looked up at me through long eye lashes.
“Too fast?” he asked, pulling himself back up to face me.
“No, it's not that,” I sighed. “It's complicated, I can't explain.”
“Try me,” he offered, kissing my cheeks lightly.
I straightened myself up as best as I could, considering I was already pressed against a wall.
“I have...”
“A boyfriend?”
“Not exactly.”
“What then?” he asked.
Wow, his eyes are the color of the ocean, too. Wait, no, stay focused!
“I have a...friend...and we have this, umm, arrangement.”
He continued to stare as I bit my lip, trying to figure out the best way to put this. I could still taste him on my swollen skin, and his thumbs rubbing circles on my hip bones weren’t helping anything.
“Okay, it's like, an open relationship, but we don't do that with other people. Everything else is fine. Is that weird?”
He stepped back, still holding my hips, and considered it.
“No, not weird. I mean, I've never heard of that, but that takes integrity. I get it.”
“Integrity?” I coughed out a single laugh. “I think that's a little strong, but it's just...our thing.”
“Self-control, then,” he decided. “Other things are okay, though?”
“Mmm hmm,” I nodded, allowing my seductive smile to return.
“Good, because I can smell you.”
“Smell me?”
“Yeah.”
“From here?” I shifted uncomfortably and bit my lip again. If I hadn’t been riding a solid buzz from all the champagne, I probably would have been a little more embarrassed by his statement, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t trying to make me feel bad. He was talking dirty and it was fucking hot.
“I have a very acute sense of smell, Bella.”
“Oh...” Yeah, fucking hot.
Finally, those lips are back on mine. Mmm...yeah, that's good. So good.
I pulled back for a moment, looking into his eyes until I was sure I had his full attention. His hands were otherwise preoccupied with my chest, but his gaze was expectant.
“Is…is that okay?” I asked nervously.
“Sweetie, there is plenty I can do with my mouth besides that.” The confidence in his voice was so self-assured and sexy that a shiver ran through my whole body.
Undeterred by my interruption, he resumed kissing me, making me feel as though I could come just from that simple act.
“Mmm, I want to taste you,” he mumbled into my mouth.
“I...I can't,” whispered back.
“Shh...not like that.”
Keeping his lips connected to mine, he slid one hand down the length of my skirt and under the soft fabric. With slow, intentional movement, he brought a single fingertip to my already wet center. He hummed into my mouth as he made his way between my sensitive folds and inside me. I gasped at the sensation and bucked my hips forward into his hand.
His movements were torturously slow. Little circles and slides in deep, then almost all the way out. After several rotations, he began sliding out again, removing his finger completely this time. I reflexively pressed closer to him and gasped, and he chuckled at my reaction.
“What…why did you stop?” I asked breathlessly between little pecks. I did not receive a verbal reply.
He straightened himself up, pulling away from my kiss, and I watched him draw his hand to his mouth. The finger that had just been between my legs was now brushing across his lips, finally slipping into his mouth. I watched in wonder as he swirled his tongue around his own finger, locking his eyes with mine through the entire action. My eyes grew wide with shock, but also with irrefutable lust. I didn’t think I had ever been so visually turned on in my life. Unintentionally, I had been holding my breath.
“Divine,” he smiled. “Breathe, Bella. I can't enjoy this if you pass out on me.”
He returned his hand to its place, understanding that my body was now begging for him, and he used another finger this time. I forced my back against the wall to steady my legs. My knees were weak already and I knew I couldn't count on them for much support.
He continued rubbing me from within, driving me mad with pleasure, so much so that I thought I might collapse when he slid out again. He drew his fingers up to his mouth, still commanding me with his eyes to watch him, but this time he reached into my wetness with his other hand. A fresh flow of my liquid heat spilled onto his hand.
This pattern continued for, well, really I have no idea. Alternating hands – sucking me off the fingers of one hand while fucking me with the other. In between, he would give me quick kisses, licking at my lips and tongue to be sure I could taste myself in his mouth. He didn’t speak, but that made it all more intense. Instead, he kept his eyes locked on mine every time our kiss was broken.
It was all kind of surreal; it felt a little dirty and kinky, but how different was this from someone going down on me? It wasn't, I decided, and slipped back into the sensation of it all – the way his fingers played me like an instrument, the devilish determination in his eyes, the taste of his kiss and my juices mixed together, the sounds of our hungry groans in harmony.
When I knew I was reaching my edge, I grabbed his wrist and held his hand in place between my thighs. He understood me and curled his fingers in a new way that nearly sent me over right there. I wound my fingers into his hair, pulling tightly and securing his mouth against mine. I kissed him furiously and bit down hard on his lower lip when the fire shot through me.
My high pitched moan filled the room. “Oh, fuck…Jasper…”
He groaned as I screamed his name, then he caught me before my legs finally gave out, sliding us down onto the floor together.
I closed my eyes and focused on catching my breath. When I finally recovered, I tipped my head back to stare at him.
“That was just...wow...wow. Fucking hot.”
“I know. You are incredible,” he smiled stupidly at me. There was an unmistakable look of boyish pride in his eyes.
“Me? I didn't do anything.”
“Yes, yes you did, Bella.”
Huh, I guess that turned him on as much as it did me.
“Well, that was definitely a, umm, first,” I smirked.
“Me, too.”
Wow, really? Those were some crazy seductive skills.
I moved closer, placing another kiss squarely on his mouth.
“We should get back,” I sighed.
“Mmm hmm,” he half-heartedly agreed but didn't stop. His hand went to my hair, smoothing out the waves that were rumpled from our activities.
“Just one more minute.”
“Or two.”
“Or ten.”
“I'd need much longer than that, sweetness.”
“I'd love to find out.”
Our words were muffled against each others' mouths, spread out and choppy between heavy breaths and many kisses. I rolled slightly, planting myself in his lap as I straddled him. My hands slid down to his pants while my mouth explored his neck.
Unfortunately, we were interrupted by Jasper's phone before things could go any further.
“It's Emmett,” he said, flipping it open. “Hey Em, what's up? Oh. Yeah, where are you guys? I'll be right there.”
“What was that?” I asked when he had closed his phone.
“That was Ali. Apparently Emmett's throwing up all over the place and she doesn't know what to do.”
“Shit,” I responded, scrambling to my feet. “I told him to be careful with the champagne. Give the giant a fifth of Jack and he's fine, but that fool can't handle a few glasses of bubbly at all!”
We quickly composed ourselves and headed back to the party. Outside, we found Emmett on his hands and knees near the side of the building. He was coughing and spitting, but it appeared the festivities were over. Ali had her back to him but glanced down at him every few seconds. She looked completely helpless. And disgusted. I was grateful we were in a spot that was out of view of the wedding guests. Emmett had done the same exact thing at the last wedding, and Uncle Carlisle was none too pleased. I'll leave it at that.
I sent Ali to the caterer’s station to retrieve a few bottles of water, and I ran inside to get some wet paper towels. By the time I returned, Jasper had managed to prop Emmett up against the wall, nice and far from his giant puddle of regurgitated Cristal.
“DJ Rebel!” Emmett yelled as I wiped him down with the cool towels. “You pussy! No, no, I mean you smell like pussy!”
His eyes wavered between squinting and closed, and his head kept tipping to one side. Hopefully that meant he'd forget that particular observation.
“Exactly how much did you drink, my friend?” Jasper asked, ignoring the comment from his drunk roommate.
Ali answered for him. “He grabbed three bottles of champagne before we went down to the water. He drank two himself and finished mine.”
“On top of the six glasses he had during the cocktail hour and dinner?” I asked in utter disbelief. No wonder he was coughing up his intestines!
“You were counting?” Jasper said with a mix of surprise and amusement as he stared at me.
“You've obviously never seen Emmett when he drinks champagne,” I said with a sarcastic edge. “Well, I guess you have now. This is why I was counting.”
“Damn,” he and Alice said at the same time.
I slapped Emmett upside the head, though I'm sure he couldn't feel it. “You dumb fuck. No champagne ever again!”
“Yes, Mommy,” Emmett mumbled with a closed-lip smile. His eyes never opened.
We all burst into a fit of giggles.
“At least he's semi-conscious,” I sighed.
By the time we dragged Emmett out to the Jeep, got him secured in the passenger seat, and went back to the party to retrieve our things, Jasper and I both felt thoroughly sober. Since I can't drive stick, he took Emmett home in the Jeep, and I took Ali home in his Cadillac. It was kind of an awkward drive. I had seen the suspicious looks she was giving Jasper and me when we came to help her, and I definitely didn't miss the face she made about Emmett's pussy comment. Not to mention I didn't really know her outside of the dinner conversation during the reception, and that wasn't long enough for us to become friends. Especially the way Emmett dominates a conversation.
When I pulled up to her apartment, she looked at me skeptically before getting out of the car.
“Did you fool around with Jasper?” she asked flatly.
“Did you fool around with my cousin?” I countered.
I was in no mood for this game. I may have hooked up with her date and ex-whatever, but she ditched him for Emmett first, and I could tell she knew I had her trapped in that.
“Good night. Thank you for the ride,” she finally conceded.
“You're welcome. And thank you for helping Emmett,” I said sincerely.
I returned to the condo to discover that my cousin was essentially dead to the world. Jasper had managed to get him out of the Jeep, but he was still trying to drag him through the door when I got there. It looked like Jasper was carrying a dead body. With a great deal of effort on both our parts, even more giggles, and several smacks of Emmett's head off the tile floor, we got him into his bed. We managed to remove his clothes, down to his boxers, and we left him to sleep in his nice dark bedroom.
I showered and put on some pajamas just in time greet Mother Nature's special gift. A day early! What is this about? When I walked out to the kitchen to get some water, I saw that Jasper had also cleaned up and had gotten himself into comfy mode.
“Wanna watch a movie?” he offered.
“Sure.” Despite my self-imposed cock block, I was still thrilled that he wanted to spend more time together. I enjoyed Jasper’s company even without the mind-blowing, kinky foreplay.
“Cool, I have a flat screen in my bedroom,” he said, leading the way.
I wasn't quite sure how to react about going to his bedroom, especially under my buzzkill circumstances. I guess I hadn't really had time to consider sleeping with him with the whole Emmett debacle, but I wondered about Jasper's intentions. I'm fully aware that “movie” can be code for hooking up, but sometimes it just means watching a movie.
I decided to let Jasper take the lead, so I perched on the edge of his bed as he got everything ready. When the movie was on and lights were off, he propped himself against the headboard with a mountain of pillows behind him and patted the spot between his legs. I slid up to my place, leaned back against his chest, and he wrapped his arm around me.
It was really nice. We actually watched the movie. The whole thing. Occasionally he would rub my shoulder or play with the ends of my hair or kiss the top of my head, but that was it. When it was over, he pulled me down to lay with him and we talked. We kissed a little, but he didn't try anything else. I found myself with an odd mixture of relief and confusion over that.
I loved that it was so easy to talk to Jasper. Despite his career choice, his musical taste went far beyond club mixes. I listed as many of the concerts and shows I had attended in college as I could remember, and as I would he would give me his opinions of each artist and tell me if he'd seen them live or met them before. I told him about growing up in Washington, college, and my friends; he talked about Texas, how he ended up in California, and his favorite places in L.A. When we noticed it getting close to dawn, we sat out on the porch and watched the sun come up together.
We went to sleep in our own respective beds after that, just in case Emmett woke up before us. It was really peaceful sleep. The way I woke up a few hours later, however, was not so peaceful.
“Bellaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
I rolled off my bed and slunk down the hall to Emmett's room. He was flat on his back, eyes closed and fingers pressed into his temples.
“Belly, my brain hurts. Who's been drilling holes in my skull?”
“One word, Emmett McCarty. Champagne,” I said without humor.
“Shhh, don't yell.”
“I’m not.”
“Do I still have all my major organs and body parts?”
“Yes,” I sighed, walking over to sit on the bed next to him and stroke his curly hair.
“Could you please go fill the bathtub with cold water and bring me a straw? I'm pretty sure I could consume that much right now,” he said.
I couldn't hold back a little giggle.
“All right, you big lush, here's the deal. You hit the showers and I will make you a nice greasy breakfast.” I used my fingers to pull his mouth up into a forced smile.
“And coffee. Lots of coffee.”
“And coffee,” I agreed.
Once I had Emmett cleaned up, fed, and somewhat recovered, we decided to hit some of our favorite spots in the city. My month-long visits to California had ended after high school, and it had been over a year since the last time I had been down to visit at all. We spent the entire afternoon and evening out walking, shopping, and eating at one of my favorite restaurants. The way of life here was so different from what I'm used to around Seattle, and it was great to be somewhere different. I felt good just being there. The sunshine, the fast paced lifestyle, hanging out with one of my favorite people; it was an escape for me.
As we sat sipping Italian espresso after dinner, Emmett brought up a subject we had discussed numerous times before.
“Seriously, Bella, it's been awesome having you around again. I wish you'd move down here,” he said. His eyes were shining with sincerity and child-like hope.
“I know,” I sighed. This topic never failed to bring out the guilt in me.
“I mean it! You've been out of college for more than two years now, and so far you've worked at a bar and a daycare. I don't think that qualifies for anything in the P.R. field.”
“I just haven't figured out what I want to do yet,” I said defensively.
“You know Charlie would appreciate it if you actually made use of that degree, and it really doesn't matter what you do. Just do something different. You finally got away from that asshat James. Where is your life going now?”
I cringed at the mention of my ex-boyfriend's name, but a part of me knew Emmett was right. I had met James right after I graduated, and I stayed around for him. I never really felt like a small town in Washington was where I was meant to stay, but I hadn't figured out all those details yet. Having Rosalie made it hard, too. We had talked a thousand times about packing up and moving somewhere new together, but we never did it. There was always an excuse of money, time or family, and now she had Felix. I really didn't believe she would leave him. She was far too co-dependent, even though she didn't need to be. It was one of the reasons she always ended up back with Demetri. My life wasn't anything extravagant or wonderful, but it was easy. I wasn't overjoyed by it all, but I wasn't miserable, either. Things would change eventually, wouldn't they? I' would meet someone great and get married and have a family and somewhere in there I'd find a better job and a better house. That's how life was supposed to happen; I was just waiting for things to fall into place.
Monday morning came too soon, and I was packing my things to head home. While Emmett was loading my luggage into the Jeep and waiting for me, I went to say goodbye to Jasper. We hadn't really seen each other the day before, and I wanted to be sure to see him before I left. He seemed to be thinking the same thing as he came out of his bedroom.
“I had a really great time getting to know you, Bella,” he said as he gave me a big hug.
“Me too,” I agreed, resting my head on his warm chest. “I'm going to try to visit again soon.”
“That would be great. Take care, okay?” He lifted my chin and pressed a soft, closed-lip kiss against mine.
I nodded, looking up at him and smiling.
“You too.” I pulled away a little and then moved my mouth close to his ear. “And good luck with Ali.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, he squeezed my hands in his, and I walked out the door.
As Emmett and I approached the airport, I knew I had to have one last conversation with him. I took a deep breath to prepare myself.
“Em, will you do something for me?” I asked.
“Anything, Bells. What's up?” he asked, looking at me innocently.
“Back off of Ali. For Jasper's sake.”
He shook his head at me and looked back to the road.
“Pssh, that mess was ages ago. It was nothing. He doesn't care what I do with that chick,” he chuckled.
I looked at him seriously. “I think you're wrong about that.”
He turned back to me and I watched his dimples fade with his smile. I knew he could see in my eyes that I wasn't joking around with him. He looked at me curiously, trying to read what I meant and how I knew, and then he became solemn.
“Okay,” he finally agreed.
After saying farewell to my teary-eyed cousin, I hugged him hard and dragged my suitcase to the check-in line. An hour and a half later I was on a plane to Seattle, watching the California landscape fade out below me.
I hated to leave, but I was looking forward to getting back to Rosalie and having some girl time.
Here we are
At the end
Say goodbye to all your friends
Here we go watching the sun go round
Sitting on a rooftop making time stop
I never want to come back down
At the end
Say goodbye to all your friends
Here we go watching the sun go round
Sitting on a rooftop making time stop
I never want to come back down
Theory of a Deadman
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